


you're a beautiful trace of time and space

by alwayssomethingelse



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), UNIT: the New Series (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Ain't no plot bunnies here no siree, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Fluffy Smut, Not many more ways I can put this..., Smut and Fluff, Subtext lesbians, Very smutty fluff, or generally non heterosexual women because Kate is probably bi let's be fair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 19:26:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13553985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwayssomethingelse/pseuds/alwayssomethingelse
Summary: The epilogue toMinus Five, Plus One.





	you're a beautiful trace of time and space

**Author's Note:**

> The Explicit rating was picked for a reason! 
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this. It's been some time since I last wrote smut - and let's be honest, that is what this is, largely. I'd apologise, but if you read the tags, that's probably why you're here... ;)
> 
> (title is a line from the Karine Polwart song, Terminal Star, which is not - I hope - particularly appropriate, but it is a lovely song, and an evocative phrase.)

That morning, Osgood dresses with more mindfulness than normal. Her outfit is relatively normal – the shirt with the question marks, black bowtie, black trousers, and black socks with white question marks; although she does pick out her green velvet jacket. But she’s made an effort to pick out a matching underwear set (and to actually have both parts clean at the same time); a nice one, too. She catches her reflection in the bathroom mirror and bites her lip. Too much? Not fancy enough? 

It has been a strange couple of weeks. Harrison Fawcett’s debrief resulted in an emergency trip to Peru with Sam Bishop – and without Kate, although she accompanied them in holographic form, which almost made it worse. The aliens quietly residing in the jungle were a peaceful group of Okaidans, who, they learnt, had escaped a genocide on their homeworld, and had crash landed in the forest about ninety years ago in human time, living completely secluded from humanity since then. However, their medical knowledge was far above that of even the best earth scientists, and in order for them to be protected from the attempts of Devlin FutureTech to expand into a new area of bioengineering, much work had to be done. 

Meanwhile, back at the Tower, Kate, Josh and Colonel Shindi had Devlin, Davies and their hired thugs to take care of. And Osgood, try as she may, couldn’t help feeling more concerned than usual to be apart from Kate, knowing the potential danger she would be in. _Silly, really,_ she had told herself. _She’s been in far worse situations, with less help. She’s perfectly capable of looking after herself._ But none of this had made up for not being able to kiss her girlfriend again after that first morning on Kate’s houseboat. Well, asides from the stolen moment at the airbase, when Kate had pulled her into what seemed like a storage cupboard to ‘give her something to come home for’. Osgood grinned at the memory. 

She’d arrived back yesterday, debriefed with the whole team, then spent a further half an hour in Kate’s office, ostensibly going over the knowledge she’d been able to acquire from the Okaidans. It had been a long day, and Kate had insisted she went home, alone. 

“Tomorrow.” She had been utterly firm. “Get some sleep, don’t set an alarm. Come in when you’re ready. And…” Her eyes had glistened “I’ll book us a table at the Italian down the road from mine for after work, if you’d like?” The words had been heavily loaded, and Osgood had taken their various meanings. Then, finally, at last…Kate had kissed her, soft and passionate all in one, hungry and tender. “I’ve missed you.” 

They had agreed, that first morning on the houseboat, that there would be no kissing in work, that they would keep things strictly professional – but Osgood knew for her own part that if Kate hadn’t reached out to her then, she wouldn’t have been able to restrain herself. 

And now here she is, dressing for a day – and a _night_ – that had been closely on her mind every minute of every day for the preceding seventeen days.

 _Providing nothing happens at work to get in the way._ Osgood’s inner voice reminds her.

***

The day is mercifully quiet for UNIT’s finest. Around lunchtime, Kate calls down to Osgood’s lab, finds her up to her eyes in physiological data pertaining to the Okaidans.

“I thought I told you to take it easy.”

“Oh this? It’s nothing, really. Look at their DNA, it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. They use nanotechnology to remove any markers that lead to…” Osgood continues, at length, her eyes glowing with excitement. 

Kate leans back against the table and lets her talk, taking in most of what she’s saying. Just glad to have her there, in front of her, safe. As safe as any of them ever are. 

…I’m sorry, I’ve been rambling. It’s just so interesting. Were you looking for something specific?” Osgood looks over at Kate, beaming.

“What? Oh, no. I just came down to see you, that’s all. And to confirm I’ve booked the restaurant.” She smiles. “Seven thirty pm, so we should leave here about six at the latest.” 

“Six, right.” Osgood looks like she’s making a mental note. Kate risks a brief stroke of her hand, as there’s no one else in the lab. 

“You look beautiful.” 

Osgood blushes. “So do you.”

“I’ll leave you to your work.” Kate winks at her. “I’ve got to go and brief Sam on his next trip.”

“Where’s he off to now?”

“The Falklands. Jo Jones was in touch while you were away, some friends had passed on intel about a skyfall off the coast there. Very small, so it missed our radars.” Kate turns back at the lab door. “It’s probably nothing.”

“Hopefully.”

***

At five fifty, Osgood meets Kate at her office. Kate is on the phone, looking decidedly unimpressed.

“Yes prime minister, I am aware of that. However, as there is absolutely nothing to report, and we are both exceedingly busy women, I suggest that you cease wasting your time, and mine, by calling me unnecessarily. Thank you.” She puts the phone down and massages her temples. 

“Preserve me from Whitehall bureaucracy. Don’t ask me how the wretched woman had heard that Sam is heading for the Falklands, but she had. Accordingly, her mind had jumped to all sorts of unfounded conclusions.”

“Well, you know the Falklands. Bit of a sore topic for the Government. Still, looks like you’ve got rid of her.”

“For now.” Kate rises from her desk, grabs her jacket and bag. “We’d best be off, Friday rush hour being what it is.”

Osgood wonders, as they leave the Tower together, whether Kate has casually mentioned some reason as to why they should be leaving together, as no one seems to pass any remarks about it. Once they’re in the car, she queries.

“I hadn’t thought. I suppose for now anyone who bothers to think about it will just assume we’re going to a work related event together. But you’re right, we’ll have to think about that.”

It’s a lovely evening, the late summer sunlight glistens on the Thames as Kate expertly drives them down Embankment, and then up along Hyde Park. She parks outside her house, and then walks them back down the road. 

“The Italian was fully booked, so I went for the Belvedere in Holland Park. It’ll take us a few more minutes to get to, but I thought you might like the walk.”

“It’s a beautiful area.” Osgood glances up at the brickwork surrounding them.

“Have you ever been through the park?” Kate queries. At Osgood’s negative, she nods. “We must come back through the Kyoto Garden, it’s rather lovely.” Tentatively, she takes Osgood’s hand, smiles when she intertwines their fingers.

***

They only discuss work in the broadest sense over dinner; their respective paths to UNIT in terms of science degrees, comparing the merits of a BSc in Chemistry and Molecular Physics, an MSc in Physics and Nanophotonics at Imperial College and a PhD in Genetics at UCL, versus an Open University degree in biochemical engineering followed by an MRes in Biological Sciences at Oxford. It turns out they know some of the same academics as well.

An intense discussion of the merits of Bach (Kate) over Beethoven (Osgood) follows, and they have to agree to disagree on that one. However, they discover a shared love of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Primal Scream, so Kate reckons it’s not all bad. Similarly, in terms of fiction, there are cross overs (Charlotte Bronte, Virginia Woolf, Tove Jansson) and differences – Kate is astounded to hear Osgood has never read Jeanette Winterson, and finds herself acquiescing that she might try some Philip K Dick (“I just don’t see the point when we do what we do”). They both love Gaiman and Pratchett. 

The surroundings are delightful, and the food is delicious. Osgood had looked a little askance at first, overawed by the splendour of the location, but she soon settles upon realising that it’s not actually too haute cuisine. Occasionally, Kate brushes their legs together underneath the table, a smile creasing across her face as Osgood blushes the faintest pink. 

Following a period of silence, Osgood looks over her Pumpkin Tortellini at Kate, and after a pause, queries

“How, I mean when did you… I mean, you have an ex husband and two children, so I was just wondering have you…have you always…?” 

“I’m sorry, was there a question in there?” Kate twinkles, though she has a fair idea of what is being asked.

Osgood goes beetroot. “How did… When, I mean how, did you, um, _howdidyouknow_ you were attracted to women?” The words having escaped, she looks anywhere but Kate’s face.

Kate smiles, gently, and reaches for Osgood’s hand, reassuring. “You know, I’m not entirely certain. I think part of me always knew, and that might be why my relationships with the children’s fathers didn’t work out. But I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when the light bulb flashed on above my head and I knew. What about you?” 

“I was fifteen, at Chess Club, and we had a new teacher who was leading it, Miss Newey. She was absolutely beautiful, and I suppose I couldn’t stop staring at her, because then my opponent managed to wipe me off the board without my even realising. It was… _really_ embarrassing, as he wasn’t even that good a player.” Osgood’s eyelashes bat down at the memory. “There were a couple of girls in school, they…made comments…which I denied out of sheer force of habit. But when I thought about it, afterwards, it just made sense. Not that I’ve ever really had the time, or, well…” She falters.

Kate raises an eyebrow. 

“Well there _was_ a lab assistant when I was doing my PhD, we flirted a bit, at least, I think we did. But it never came to anything. Much. I was too busy, too taken up with my work...” 

“That’s been my excuse, too.”

***

They walk back through the Kyoto Garden, as Kate promised. Osgood delights in the simple elegance and serenity of it. The sound of _Un bel di, vedremo_ from Madama Butterfly drifts over from the outdoor opera stage as Osgood takes Kate’s hand. She’s feeling a bit nervous now; the danger of having all that time to prepare, to think about what might happen, and how.

Kate seems to guess. _How does she always know?_ She pauses their stroll on the little bridge over the pond and turns to Osgood.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.” And to her own surprise, Osgood sounds certain. “I mean, I’m a bit nervous, I…don’t want to…disappoint you…” Before she can continue, Kate drops a kiss to her lips, effectively silencing her. Slides a hand around her back, holding her gently. 

“You could never disappoint me.” She whispers, her lips brushing Osgood’s ear. “You have no idea how much I’ve thought of this…of you…”

Feeling a thrill of heat that has nothing to do with the warm summer breeze, Osgood leads the way to the gate. They hold a charged energy between them now, as they walk back to Kate’s house. Not speaking, Osgood strokes her thumb rhythmically along Kate’s index finger, and from the corner of her eye, spots Kate control a small gasp, and bite her lip. She only lets go to unlock the door, indicating Osgood to go ahead while she takes care of the alarm.

Then. _Oh, then_ she has Kate in her arms, Kate’s lips on hers, their bodies pressed tight as they moan into a kiss that has been all day in the making. She slips her hands underneath Kate’s jacket, smoothing down silk till one finger loops under her belt, touches soft, bare skin for just a moment.

Kate breaks the kiss only to lead her up the stairs. They are steep, and quite narrow, and Osgood can feel herself getting breathless for more than one reason. 

“Inhaler?” 

“Got it.” They pause at the top while she uses it, and Kate divests herself of her jacket, slipping it into a cupboard. She turns and beckons Osgood into a large, pale, airy room. The sight of that one finger, Kate’s finger, calling to her, nearly makes her unsteady on her feet as she follows through. Inside, a king size bed sits against the right hand wall, covered in an elegant white bed-linen set. That’s all Osgood is able to take in as she crosses the floor to Kate, hands outstretched. 

“You know, I think we’re a little overdressed for this, don’t you?” Kate plucks at Osgood’s jacket. “As much as I like the colour on you.”

Osgood can feel herself blushing as she lets Kate brush the shoulders of it back, as she wriggles out of the sleeves. She reaches out to stroke Kate’s blouse, fingers twitching at the buttons. 

“I could say the same thing.” 

Their arms tangle in a flurry of undoing buttons. _Of course_ , some small, quiet part of Osgood’s mind thinks, _it would be far more sensible to undo one’s own shirts, not each others…_ “I’m done with being sensible. She murmurs, then, startled by Kate’s chuckle, realises she’s spoken aloud. 

“I’m glad to hear it. At least for tonight.” Kate drops a kiss to Osgood’s collar bone, to her sternum, to the gentle curve of her breast as it escapes the simple lace of her bra. Osgood can’t supress a moan at that, and pulls her closer, torso pressing against torso, her hands grasping at the supple, firm skin of Kate’s back. She walks Kate backwards, towards the bed, lips and teeth just gently grazing her neck. Nothing so much as to leave a bruise, but enough to cause a number of small gasps as she tongues pressure points.

And then Kate is sitting on the bed, and Osgood is astride her, arms around her neck, lowering herself till their lips meet. She can feel Kate kick off her shoes, and toes her own off in silent reply. The satin of Kate’s bra slides against her skin, and Osgood flicks a finger over the clasp, eyebrow raised in query; Kate blinks a silent assent, kisses Osgood deeply while her fingers are busy. Once again, the breath seems to go from her lungs, but this time Osgood doesn’t need her inhaler as she watches the soft fabric fall away from Kate’s breasts. The are perfect; delicately rounded, porcelain smooth and silken soft. She longs to kiss them, to tongue each creased aureole, to take each dusky pink nipple in her lips. 

It’s not like Osgood has been reading up on what to do, as the scientist in her had thought she might have to. Somehow, she just knows. And the heat building in her tells her that if she doesn’t feel Kate’s fingers on her, _in_ her, soon… she might just explode with the longing of these past weeks. She dips her head to Kate’s chest, earning a prolonged sigh as her lips meet the tantalising dip between Kate’s breasts. There, the skin is ever so slightly weathered, with light freckling, telling tales of field work in hot countries. Ever so faintly, she can taste salt, and the thought – or maybe it’s Kate’s fingers fluttering on her spine - brings a new flush of arousal. 

Now Kate’s hands have reached the buttons to Osgood’s trousers, and a whispered “may I?” is met with a grinned _yes_. But as Kate’s hands slide down inside the fabric, stroking and grasping at her thighs, Osgood’s voice loses all power of articulation. One lone finger strokes the small patch of skin between her knickers and hips, trailing nearer and nearer to that growing heat, without ever quite reaching it. Unable to stop herself, knowing she’ll come there and then if she doesn’t move, Osgood slides backwards till she kneels on the floor before Kate, hands stroking at the waistline of her slacks. Obliging, Kate draws the zip down, and stands up, shakily, to let the fabric fall with a quiet shush to the floor. She leans back on the bed, satin and lace French knickers fitting where they touch, and, Osgood thinks, looking just a little damp between her thighs. 

“Bed… I think…” Kate whispers, hoarse and low. “Before I…” She offers a hand to Osgood, and pulls slightly, till together they fall backwards onto the bed and wriggle up it. The linen is smooth and cool on Osgood’s skin, contrasting with Kate’s hands, warm and everywhere: now her hip, now her back, now her chest, now catching at her bra clasp to undo it and swiftly sweep aside the fabric. And now, oh _now_ Kate’s lips on her breast, Kate’s tongue swirling across her skin, Kate’s teeth gently biting, just enough to make her gasp, just enough to make her whimper.

***

_This is a dream._ Kate thinks. _This can only be a dream._ For here is Osgood, _her_ Osgood, shaking under her touch, bucking under the smooth of her tongue, the nip of her teeth. And her hands, eager and grasping, running over Kate’s back, now pulling them together, skin against skin; now putting distance between them so she can lower her mouth to kiss Kate’s lips, her neck, her breastbone; now running down her side, curving around her thigh, hooking a finger into the elastic of her underwear, a silent suggestion which Kate eagerly agrees to by lifting her hip a little so they can slip down, then wriggling till she can kick them off, and then… then, Osgood’s hands cupping between her legs, her soft gasp, the glow in her eyes. This is the Osgood she has always known, and yet, a new Osgood all at the same time. _This_ is what she has been longing for.

For a moment, they come face to face, unable to tear their eyes away from each other. With one hand unable to stop stroking the gentle curve of Osgood’s waist, Kate cups her face with the other, smoothing her thumb over Osgood’s cheekbone, touching her lips in wonder. These lips that have kissed her, these lips that have traced her body in a way Kate has never felt before. With a subtle nudge, she edges round until Osgood is beneath her, her thighs between Kate’s knees, her wrists touching Osgood’s shoulders; looks down and sees Osgood’s eyes, star-like, gazing at her.

Kate dips her head to lightly kiss Osgood’s lips, her cheeks, the tip of her nose – which makes her giggle, lilting, joyful. Then she moves to the very bottom of her earlobe, sucking gently as Osgood starts to squirm beneath her, gasping. Shifting all her weight to one hand, Kate moves the other to smooth over Osgood’s stomach, tips of fingers catching at soft curls, reaching just a bit closer, and closer. 

“Please, Kate, please…” Osgood whimpers, begging.

Kate lifts her head to watch the effect her touch is having. “Please what?”

Osgood seems to have lost the power of speech, instead canting her hips upwards into Kate’s hand, causing her fingers to dip into such glorious heat.

“Ohhhhhhhh…” Their sighs occur in unison. 

“You are…” But Kate, usually so good with words, cannot put it into speech. Instead, her fingers dip down, one stroking at Osgood’s clit, another reaching further, just inside her. She could weep at how good this feels, and Osgood looks like she already is. _This is what hands are made for._ Kate reflects, as with each minuscule movement, Osgood quivers beneath her. 

Then, oh _then_ , Osgood reaches a hand up, cups between Kate’s legs, and looks up at her, pleading. Kate’s not sure what she says, or if she says anything coherent at all, but the next moment she’s crying out as Osgood touches her, strokes her, reaches a finger inside her, and then two. She can barely keep herself held up, and realises just in time to twist them sideways, till her side rests on the bed and their arms are a tangle, each desperately trying to reach the other again. And then they do, and time seems to stand still as, within moments the thrill of having Osgood inside her, of holding her like this with her thumb brushing Osgood’s clit, comes crashing over Kate, tipping her into orgasm. The last thing she remembers is Osgood crying out, curling into her, lips meeting skin, trembling.

Slowly, their breathing quietens. After a few minutes, Kate draws her hand out – causing Osgood to quiver – and pulls Osgood closer. They lie together, skin to skin, cheek to cheek, until finally she feels able to lift her head enough to find Osgood’s lips, to softly kiss, and be met with open mouthed delight. Hands caress and clutch, legs entwine, and Osgood pulls her face away to look at Kate, glowing. 

“That…that was…amazing, that was utterly amazing…I…I just, I never want to stop touching you, being touched by you…” She’s not blushing anymore, either, Kate notices with a softly growing smile.

“ _You_ are amazing.” She rubs their noses together, kisses Osgood’s lips, and again, and a third time. “Truly.”

***

Osgood grins at Kate.

“I have an idea…” She begins.

“Oh?”

She doesn’t say anything more, but nudges Kate onto her back, wriggles over her till their tummies are smooth against each other, till their breasts touch, soft and tentative. 

Osgood dips her head to kiss Kate, then whispers in her ear. “I’d like to…” She can’t finish the sentence, the words seem so decadent somehow, but as she shifts her weight so she can drop kisses on Kate’s shoulder, then her breasts, Kate glimmers with understanding, wets her lips in anticipation. 

Slowly, Osgood works her way down Kate’s torso, kissing and licking in the gathering dark. She can just about still see the outline of her body, and, when she looks up, the glitter of Kate’s eyes, watching, unable now to do anything but stroke the upper reaches of her back, her neck, curl into her hair. She hovers over Kate’s crotch, breathing her in. One hand still smoothing Kate’s hip, the dip and the curve of her belly, fingertips soothing the tremors she’s causing. 

For a moment, she’s almost scared. She’s never done this before. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. _You didn’t know what you were doing fifteen minutes ago, and that turned out more than ok_ her inner voice reminds her. _A lot more than ok_ it adds. With that, she dips her nose, her mouth, her tongue, into Kate. It’s probably inelegant, but it’s effective – Kate gives a small cry, a moan of delight.

And _oh_ the _taste_ of her. Osgood lathes her tongue along Kate’s vulva, against her clit, feels her shudder, fingertips grasping at Osgood’s hair.

“Please, please…” Kate’s voice is muffled, but her tone is clear. Osgood smiles into her, speeding up her licking, savouring, drinking her in.

It turns out Kate is quite vocal. 

As Osgood licks, and sucks, as she pauses a moment to catch her breath, as she slips her tongue just inside of Kate, she is accompanied by a soundtrack of cries and groans, of keened vowels and hoarse, inarticulate whispers. It doesn’t take long (not long _enough_ ) for her to come into Osgood’s mouth, eager and elated. She can taste the change, the moment before the orgasm rushes through Kate, knows that just a little more pressure…and there, Kate is juddering around her, crying out as she continues to lick; finally pushing her back, hands clasping, belly trembling, body shaking.

Slowly, she makes her way up Kate’s body, dropping light but firm kisses to her hip, her ribcage, her breasts, and then, finally, her mouth. Kate moans into the kiss, grasping Osgood to her, till there is nothing at all between them. Osgood can feel her heart pounding through her chest, finds herself rising and falling on Kate’s laboured breathing.

“Is there anything you can’t do?” She murmurs, stroking Osgood’s cheek.

Osgood grins in the dark, feeling the same kind of adrenaline boost she gets when she designs a particularly successful piece of kit. Pretends to think.

“Well, I’m not very good at cards.”

Kate’s laugh is a spluttered honk, dislodging Osgood from her chest. 

“I’m sure I can do something about _that_! But in the meantime…” 

Even in the dark, this close, Osgood can see the glint in her eyes.

“…Why don’t you come up here…” Kate invites, her voice dripping with suggestion.

For a moment, Osgood isn’t sure what she means, but then Kate’s hands provide guidance, and she realises. Feels the heat simmering within her start to bubble up as Kate positions herself, her head, between Osgood’s legs. 

And then, _oh, then_ … If Osgood had thought she’d seen stars before, then now it’s fireworks going off throughout her body as Kate, achingly slowly, draws her tongue across Osgood’s clit, as she caresses her thighs, reaches a hand up to steady the tremors racking Osgood’s belly. Nothing on earth (or in space) Osgood has ever experienced could have prepared her for this. 

It’s not long before she’s crying out, shaking, begging Kate not to stop, and yet unable to withstand much more. Finally, her body seems to make the decision for her, as she falls sideways, landing on downy soft pillows, legs still tangled up in Kate’s arms, one knee touching her breast, gloriously breathless. But this is the kind of gasping that isn’t caused by faulty genetics, and most certainly doesn’t need an inhaler. 

Slowly, she tries to manoeuvre her legs back to their more regular position, below her torso. Every muscle quivers in protest, but after a bit of work, she’s lying parallel to Kate again, turned into her, hands languidly stroking, lips finding lips.

“That…” Her voice is full of wonder.

“Yes.” Kate smiles into a kiss. “Yes…”

“Although…in the interests of…science, I think we’ll have to…conduct…further…research…” Osgood punctuates her words with light kisses.

Kate chuckles. “I’m game if you are… though I might need a little re-charging time.”

Osgood snuggles into her, burying her nose in a beautifully soft spot of Kate’s neck, just under her jaw bone. 

“That sounds like an excellent idea.”


End file.
